• Why Jihad Watch?
  • About Robert Spencer and Staff Writers
  • FAQ
  • Books
  • Muhammad
  • Islam 101
  • Privacy

Jihad Watch

Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Boston University professors say education, media must combat stereotypes of Muslims

Apr 25, 2013 5:38 pm By Robert Spencer

You know what would work even better than the large-scale propaganda effort they envision, which is already in full swing anyway? Stop blowing things up. Stop killing people in the name of Islam. Work against those who do, instead of closing ranks and blaming non-Muslims for being concerned about this. And your public image will improve dramatically.

“Profs. say say education, media could combat Islamic stereotypes,” by Rachel Riley for the Daily Free Press, April 25 (thanks to Kaddafi Delenda Est):

In light of news that the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings were from predominantly Islamic Chechnya, students and professors at Boston University said U.S. citizens should not create harmful generalizations about the Muslim community and violence.

“Violence doesn’t necessarily belong to Muslim extremism any more than it belongs to any other form of extreme behavior,” said College of Fine Arts professor André de Quadros, a member of the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations. “We, in this country, are victims of violence even to people who are not Muslim.”

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two suspects, has been described as an Islamic extremist by various media outlets in the days following the attacks. Tamerlan, who was killed after a shootout with police in Watertown, was the older brother of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is now in police custody.

The relationship between extremist Islam and violence is a complex one, and as such, students must be wary of jumping to conclusions, Quadros said.

“The most dangerous thing that can happen is, once again, that Muslim students, that Muslim peace-loving people, are targeted for hate or exclusion,” he said.

Religion professor Kecia Ali said generalizations that equate the Muslim community with violence stem from the urgency of Americans to understand the attack on Boston on April 15.

“People want to make sense,” Ali said. “When one looks for explanations, simple explanations are often the most compelling.”

She said the media has focused on terrorist events associated with Islam, such as the Tsarnaev brothers” alleged association with Islam, and other instances of mass violence in America, such as the Colorado theater massacre in July and the Newtown shootings in December.

Ali said since the Marathon bombings, students on campus have had conversations about the way society views violence in America.

“Just as after 9/11, just as in the wake of the Park 51 controversy about building a mosque near the site of the World Trade Center, there are people on campus who are engaged in ongoing dialogue,” she said.

The most powerful tool students have in combatting stereotypes, particularly those directed toward members of the Muslim community, is caution in how they make associations and ask questions, Ali said.

“It’s not necessarily about the answers we give to questions “” it’s about the questions we choose to ask and the connections we choose to draw,” she said.

Although she said she does not know exactly how Muslim students on campus are directly affected by prejudices against Islam, Ali said many student groups fight against stereotyping by supporting religious tolerance.

“At BU, student organizations such as the Interfaith Council and others have been really integral to starting ongoing dialogues about integration, coexistence, commonalities, difference and the ways in which religious students from a variety of religious traditions have things in common,” she said.

Ahmet Selim, a sixth-year Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student who identifies as Muslim, said it is not uncommon to see unfair reporting of the brothers” association with Islam, even in the mainstream media.

“We are seeing an immediate spike in identification of all of American Muslims “¦ as somehow guilty [of the bombing],” Selim said.

Stereotyping can be combated through media and education, he said.

“Muslim organizations “¦ have programs to reach out to the larger public to rectify misunderstandings about Islam and emphasize the point that these radical types are basically the minority,” he said. “But, it is also a civic duty for everyone to stand against hate speech toward American Muslims.”

Instead of reaching out to the larger community, reach out to the Muslims who are getting the idea that Islamic teaches violence, and change their minds.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Follow me on Facebook

Filed Under: "Islamophobia", claiming victim status


Learn more about RevenueStripe...

FacebookYoutubeTwitterLog in

Subscribe to the Jihad Watch Daily Digest

You will receive a daily mailing containing links to the stories posted at Jihad Watch in the last 24 hours.
Enter your email address to subscribe.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!
If you are forwarding to a friend, please remove the unsubscribe buttons first, as they my accidentally click it.

Subscribe to all Jihad Watch posts

You will receive immediate notification.
Enter your email address to subscribe.
Note: This may be up to 15 emails a day.

Donate to JihadWatch
FrontPage Mag

Search Site

Translate

The Team

Robert Spencer in FrontPageMag
Robert Spencer in PJ Media

Articles at Jihad Watch by
Robert Spencer
Hugh Fitzgerald
Christine Douglass-Williams
Andrew Harrod
Jamie Glazov
Daniel Greenfield

Contact Us

Terror Attacks Since 9/11

Archives

  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2005
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2004
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2003
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • March

All Categories

You Might Like

Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Recent Comments

  • OLD GUY on UK: Woman converts to Islam, distributes Islamic State jihad terror videos
  • OLD GUY on Al-Qaeda Calls on Jihadis to Kill Non-Muslims With Poisoned Coronavirus Masks
  • Boycott Turkey on Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, France and UAE conduct joint military exercises amid rising Turkish threat
  • Michael Copeland on New study reveals that Muslim religiosity strongly linked to hatred towards the West
  • Michael Copeland on New study reveals that Muslim religiosity strongly linked to hatred towards the West

Popular Categories

dhimmitude Sharia Jihad in the U.S ISIS / Islamic State / ISIL Iran Free Speech

Robert Spencer FaceBook Page

Robert Spencer Twitter

Robert Spencer twitter

Robert Spencer YouTube Channel

Books by Robert Spencer

Jihad Watch® is a registered trademark of Robert Spencer in the United States and/or other countries - Site Developed and Managed by Free Speech Defense

Content copyright Jihad Watch, Jihad Watch claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to their respective owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Our mailing address is: David Horowitz Freedom Center, P.O. Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, CA 91499-1964

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.